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Posted in Education, Getty Villa

What Did the Byzantine Empire Smell Like?

By Saskia Wilson-Brown | Published: July 3, 2014
Bottles of aromatics at a recent Getty Villa workshop
Byzantium in a bottle (or two)

Visit medieval Constantinople through perfume you can make yourself. More»

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Posted in Ancient World, Antiquities

Beware the Ides of March

By Shelby Brown | Published: March 14, 2014
Beware the Ides of March / Julius Caesar
Consult a good soothsayer before heading out this weekend. Artwork: Portrait of Julius Caesar (detail) from the Forum of Trajan, Rome. National Archaeological Museum, Naples, Inv. 6038. Photo: S. Sosnovskiy, 2008

If the sacrificial liver looks bad, stay home…and other soothsaying wisdom from ancient Rome. More»

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Posted in Ancient World, Antiquities, Exhibitions and Installations, J. Paul Getty Museum

Has History Got Roman Emperor Tiberius All Wrong?

By David Saunders | Published: October 25, 2013
Tiberius at the Getty Villa

Outrageous criminal or misunderstood victim? A new exhibition finds the man behind the scandal. More»

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Posted in Art, J. Paul Getty Museum, Research

The Monuments Men and the Race to Save Masterpieces, A Q&A with Robert Edsel

By Alexandria Sivak | Published: May 30, 2013
Robert Edsel
Robert Edsel

“What makes a man risk his life to save someone else’s life, much less a work of art?” More»

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Posted in Art, Behind the Scenes, Exhibitions and Installations, Prints and Drawings, Voices

Getty Voices: Looking East, Looking West

By Jessie Park | Published: March 25, 2013
Stephanie and I (seated, far right) with colleagues at the National Museum of Korea, Seoul, in November 2011. Back row, standing: left to right: Lee Jae-jeong, Moon Dong Soo, Min Kil-hong. Front row, seated, left to right: Lee Won Bok, Burglind Jungmann, Stephanie Schrader, Jessie Park
Stephanie and I (seated, far right) with colleagues at the National Museum of Korea, Seoul, in November 2011. Back row, standing: left to right: Lee Jae-jeong, Moon Dong Soo, Min Kil-hong. Front row, seated, left to right: Lee Won Bok, Burglind Jungmann, Stephanie Schrader, Jessie Park

“Looking East” established a platform for international dialogue around art, history, and cultural exchange. More»

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Posted in Ancient World, Antiquities, Exhibitions and Installations, Getty Villa, J. Paul Getty Museum

Apocalypse Then: Bulwer-Lytton’s “The Last Days of Pompeii”

By Annelisa Stephan | Published: August 24, 2012
Cover and illustration from Bulwer-Lytton's The Last Days of Pompeii

Mount Vesuvius erupted on August 24, A.D. 79, burying Pompeii and neighboring towns under tons of ash and volcanic debris. Rediscovered by accident some 1,650 years later, the Vesuvian ruins captured the imagination of artists and writers, who vied to… More»

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Posted in Ancient World, Antiquities, Getty Villa

How to Wear a Toga the Ancient Roman Way

By Annelisa Stephan | Published: November 9, 2011
Guy Wheatley modeling a toga in the galleries of the Getty Villa

In ancient Rome, togas were no laughing matter. They were the fashion must-have for all male citizens, but men hated them: they were heavy, made your left arm as useful as a T. Rex’s, and required a team of highly… More»

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Posted in Exhibitions and Installations, J. Paul Getty Museum

Harvard Historian Robert Darnton on Blogging, 18th-Century Style

By Annelisa Stephan | Published: April 25, 2011
Historian Robert Darnton. Copyright © 2010, Brian Smith, Boston

Opening this week at the Getty Center is Paris: Life & Luxury, which traces the refined activities that took place inside a luxurious Parisian town house of the mid-1700s. On the streets outside such a house, however, occurred one activity… More»

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Posted in Conservation, Getty Conservation Institute

What Do You Mean, “Sustainability and Cultural Heritage”?

By Melissa Abraham | Published: January 7, 2011
Gold Rush-era building in Nevada City, California

When I talk about the importance of sustainability and cultural heritage, most people nod their heads—we’ve all heard the word “sustainable” in terms of the green revolution—but then a second later they usually ask, “Wait, what exactly do you mean?”… More»

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Posted in Behind the Scenes, Getty Villa, J. Paul Getty Museum

Mrs. Garrett’s Carrot Cake, A Slice of Getty Villa History

By Beth Brett | Published: December 13, 2010
The Atrium of the Getty Villa before its renovation

Opening a new museum involves many tasks—and deciding what to display isn’t the only one. There’s also the matter of how to feed hungry visitors. When Stephen Garrett became the first director of the Getty Museum after the construction of… More»

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      The Union Oil Center was completed in 1958 and became the highest building in downtown Los Angeles (mostly thanks to the convenient hill it is situated upon). 

      This neighborhood became known for the 19th century oil boom. However, come the ’90s, the building was up for demolition. Saved by Hollywood, this building became the Los Angeles Center Studios complete with a “vertical backlot.” What other SoCal oil buildings have transformed in time? The Huntington has one.  

      We’re teaming up The Huntington’s tumblr to bring you historic Los Angeles images on Wednesdays through August 6 as part of No Further West.

      Union Oil Center, 1957, Julius Shulman. Getty Research Institute. Julius Shulman Photography Archive.

      07/23/14

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